Because of you, Caroline
by missdee1986
Summary: What should have happened at the end of 4/14. Caroline's grief overcomes her and who is there to comfort her but everyone's favourite Hybrid? Not a story for Forwood fans. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

A/N - _This fic is very out of character for these two, but it wouldn't get out of my head and my muse had been gone for ages beforehand so I had to write it. Please let me know what you think and if you think I should continue. I have a rough idea of the story i want to write, just haven't finished it yet and am a little rusty as you lovely readers will be able to tell. Anyway, thanks for reading. _

"I've done more than enough. I've shown kindness, forgiveness, pity. Because of you, Caroline. It was all for you."

Caroline stared at him. He had caused so much pain, so much heartache. For everyone. Even for his own family. And now he was stood in front of her after having almost killed her and destroying her relationship with Tyler and she should want to punch him. She should want to scream at him and hurt him, cause him pain. The kind of pain he deserved.

Instead she stared into his glorious eyes and fought the urge to grab ahold of him and let him kiss all her tears away. His gaze penetrated her for a few more seconds before he finally gave a small sigh, nodded and turned to leave.

As he walked away from her his words finally sank in. "I fear something awful has befallen your friend Bonnie." Grief surged in her stomach and she felt for a second like she was going to pass out. The senseless losses she had suffered recently had finally taken their toll and the idea of not only never seeing Tyler again, but also Bonnie, one of her best friends... A girl who herself had been through so much. It had all finally become too much to take. She needed to be held. Needed soothing words and comfort.

But her friends were somewhere across the world. She was alone. The tears finally sprang forth properly and she collapsed against the porch swing, sobbing loud enough to attract the attention of one currently-storming-away Hybrid.

Klaus froze inside as he heard the heartbroken sobs coming from the front of the Gilbert house. A feeling not unlike the one he had while watching her die rose in his chest. Fear, mixed with hopelessness and anger. Anger for the girl who had stolen his heart then danced on it at every available opportunity, yet still had the power to make him ache for her. And sorrow. Sorrow for her that she had most likely just suffered yet another loss. He knew a thing or two about loss.

But Caroline Forbes wanted nothing to do with him. This she had made very obvious with her words yesterday. He couldn't let his feelings for her weaken him any further. He needed to get home and see to his poor little brothers' body. He needed to shower and change most of all he needed to find some way to forget this ridiculous infatuation with a girl who would never want him.

Yet as her sobs grew louder, it was as though a force completely separate from him had taken over his body and made him turn around and go back towards the Gilbert residence. Before he knew what he was even doing he was cautiously approaching the baby vampire.

"Caroline, love. Don't cry."

She sniffed and turned her face up to glare at him, tears still flowing freely down her devastated face. "This is all your fault! I hate you Klaus.. I wish I had never laid eyes on you and I wish I had just let Damon throw you in the sea to rot! Just go away. Leave me alone.."

He didn't even flinch, had been expecting this response. Her words about Damon struck him as odd, but now was not the time to ask about it. So he simply nodded again and turned away from her once more. Enough rejection for one night. Only this time as he went to walk away he was suddenly attacked from behind.

Turning, he grabbed a hold of her arms. He expected to have to restrain her from hitting him, although part of him felt like letting her.

But nobody was more shocked than he was when her mouth crashed against his. His surprise made him let go of her arms as his hands rushed to bury themselves in her hair. Her mouth was relentless against his as she pressed into him, hands moving to grip his waist. She tasted like salty tears and to him it felt like heaven.

As Caroline pushed him against the wall of the house and started to shove his jacket from his shoulders, he knew he couldn't let this go on. She wasn't herself. No doubt she would regret this when she came to her senses.

Caroline felt her body blaze as though she was about to turn to ash. Kissing Klaus had been something she caught herself thinking about time and time again lately. It felt different than when he was in Tyler's body. Perhaps because she could feel his stubble rub deliciously against her skin, or the fact that he was no longer an "innocent victim" of her kiss and was thoroughly kissing her back.

Tyler had just left, and she knew this was wrong. But Klaus was here. Klaus who had always been there when she turned around, whether she wanted him to be or not. And although she wasn't quite ready to admit it to herself just yet, deep down she knew his words had affected her deeply. In this moment, all she wanted was to feel as close to him as she possibly could. Klaus, the evil Hybrid. he couldn't be killed. He would never leave her or be taken from her. She knew somehow that he wouldn't allow it.

As her tongue slid against his and her hands pushed his jacket off, she felt him tense against her. As he broke the kiss he whispered her name and she immediately silenced him by bringing her lips back to his.

Klaus could feel something inside of him soaring. The rejection and the loneliness of the past 1000 years and the grief of watching his poor brother die were slipping away as this fiercely glorious kisser attacked his mouth with hers again. Their lips moved in perfect sync, her hips pinned him against the house and though he could easily break free from her the urge to do so had never been there to begin with. He could still taste her tears and she clung frantically to him and he pulled away from her kiss.

She let out a small whimper at the loss and immediately quieted when he kissed her tears on each side of her face, with a gentle kiss to her mouth in between.

His fingers brushed her hair out of her face as they gazed at each other. They stood there, her leaning against him, his hand cupping her face and the other around her waist, holding her to him.

For what felt like hours, they stared at each other.

He finally broke the silence. "Caroline, you're hurting love and I understand that. But if we carry on I will not be able to stop. Do you understand me?"

She did. As she gazed into his eyes she could see the hunger there. The need for her. If she wanted some of him tonight she would have to take all of him. He was tired and had not fed for days. The small amount of self-control he had was being tested to its limits. Caroline had witnessed that for herself when he bit her.

She could also feel his hardness pressing against her thigh and the waves of heat pulsing from her own core. She had wanted him for so long that giving into it was beyond anything she had imagined and she was pretty certain that she wouldn't be able to stop herself either if this went any further.

Giving him a small nod of acknowledgement, she raised a hand to gently touch his face. Instead of burning hatred, which was all he deserved, she felt a tenderness she would never have dreamed. His eyes blazed into hers as he leaned into her hand. Tears had appeared in them. The weight of grief and loneliness fell heavily on both of them and for long minutes they stayed that way, neither wanting to speak.

Finally, she shifted in his arms and as she did so, brushed against his straining erection. The guttural growl that escaped his lips was like anything she had ever heard. A thrill of desire shot up her spine and she leaned towards him, moving her body again. Klaus gritted his teeth against another growl as she watched, seemingly fascinated at the reaction she provoked in him.

"Love, I really wouldn't do that-" Once again, he was silenced by the lips of Caroline Forbes.

As their bodies tangled together, desperately pressing closer to one another, a car pulled up outside the Gilbert home. They both froze.

Time seemed to stand still as a car door slammed and footsteps approached the house. Neither moved a muscle.

"Caroline? Is that you?" Came the voice of Matt, her ex boyfriend.

Klaus raised an eyebrow at her. She bit her lip, indecision written on her face. But the idiot schoolboy was about to find them and Klaus took matters into his own hands. He picked her up in his arms at vampire speed and took off.

As Matt approached the house he found nothing there but a pair of jackets crumpled on the ground.

A/N - _Well guys, hope you liked. This could have done with some more editing i'm afraid but tis too late now lol. Next chapter we'll see if Caroline has the guts to go with what she wants to do :) _


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- I wanted to keep the characters as true to themselves as i possibly could while moving Klaroline forward. Hopefully it worked :) Sorry about this chapter, getting used to writing again is hit and miss but I wanted to get something up for you asap. Thank you so much for the reviews and the follows and favs, I really appreciate it. **

Caroline awoke the next morning in her own bed. Alone. Sitting up at vamp speed, memories of the night before came flooding into her still half-asleep brain.

Tyler was _gone_. She may never see him again. And something terrible may have happened to one of her best friends. No. _No. _She wasn't even going to contemplate thinking about that. Bonnie would be just fine. She had to be. Caroline would not allow herself to imagine otherwise. Clearly, the spell holding Klaus in the Gilbert living room had just faded away. Bonnie had been struggling with her powers lately, and she had probably just overestimated the strength of her spell..

And Klaus... 'Oh, God... Klaus..' She buried her face in her hands and groaned. The way she had behaved... 'He has pretty much destroyed all of our lives and the first thing I do when he gets free is throw myself at him!'

The worst part of it all was that she knew that if he had not pulled back from her last night, given her a reprieve from her rash and emotional actions... She probably wouldn't have stopped.

It had been her first loss of control since just after her transition and of course it HAD to involve him.

_They arrived at her house in a blur of limbs. Kissing softly by now, their mouths moved slowly against each others as his tongue reached out to mingle with her own. To taste her. He leaned her back against her front door, one hand cradling the back of her head, her hair bunched in his fist. His other arm tightly wrapped around her waist, holding her against him as if she would disappear dare he let go._

_Her arms wrapped around his neck, fingers gently gripping the soft curls in his hair. Finally, he tore his mouth from hers to look into her eyes. She saw the need, the hunger and desire for her. And she also saw the pain. He was vulnerable before her now.. Open in a way she had never seen him be. And then his beautiful eyes had darkened again, closed her off. And she knew it was all over. He gently let her go, allowing his hands to cup her face for a moment. "Goodnight Caroline." And then he was gone._

Caroline groaned into her hands again. Embarrassment and shame flooded her. How could she do that?! How could she kiss Klaus like that? She must have lost her mind! But still, the memory of the fire he had ignited in her whole body, the sensation of his lips on hers... 'No. NO. Do not think about that Forbes.'

Deciding to forget, at least for now, about Klaus, she got up and showered. Elena would need her when she got back and going over to the Gilbert home to try and get the clean up sorted out seemed like the best thing for her to do.

When she got there, she found she already had company.

"Matt, hey." He pulled her into a hug as she walked through the door. Over his shoulder she couldn't help but glance at the table Klaus had so recently sat on, staring at her with a smile on his face as he'd watched her try to translate Jeremy's tattoo.

Shaking her head as if it would shake any thoughts of him away, she pulled back to smile weakly at Matt.

"Where's Tyler?"

His words were like a blow to her stomach. Caroline prided herself on not letting her emotions get the better of her. It was the reason she knew that people had thought of her as unfeeling and tactless when she had been human. But her friend's question had threatened to bring on her second fit of sobbing in as many days and with watery eyes she told him what had happened. Well... most of what had happened anyway.

Matt immediately jumped to condemn Klaus.

"I'm so sorry Care. He's a monster, I can't wait until we find a way to kill him. Making Tyler leave so that he can hunt him down like it's some kind of sport.. He really is evil."

"He's not evil Matt, he's..." her voice trailed off as she realised what she had said and that Matt was now staring at her with a somewhat stunned expression on his face.

"He's what Caroline?"

"He's hurt." She ignored his incredulous stare as she continued, trying to explain herself, "He's been alone for a very long time Matt. And his Hybrids, sick as it was, they were his one chance to make sure he'd never be alone. When Tyler unsired and freed them then Klaus was just trapped and he felt betrayed. Tyler was planning on killing him Matt, no matter what it would cost the rest of us." she told him, referring to the fact that Elena"s humanity was at stake and they needed Klaus to help get her it back. And nothing else. She told herself anyway. Why would she possibly want Klaus to live? But before she could distract herself with these thoughts she realised that Matt was speaking to her again.

"...and he still killed Tyler's mother. Not to mention Jenna. And all of the other people he has hurt, including you Caroline. How can you defend him?"

"I'm not defending him Matt! I know what Klaus has done okay? Do you think I don't have to remind myself of that every day? All i'm saying is that Tyler went up against him and he lost. And I'm just as mad at him for his having to leave me _again. _At least Klaus gave him a chance to run. Katherine has been avoiding him for over 500 years. Tyler can do the same." She had no idea where half of the words coming out of her mouth were coming from, but as she spoke she knew she believed them.

Tyler had known what he was risking when he decided to try killing the strongest creature in the world. It hadn't been enough for him to free the other Hybrids and leave it at that. He'd had to try to take Klaus out too. And he'd had his little pack make damn sure that neither Caroline or Stefan could stop him. All he had cared about was getting at Klaus, he didn't seem to care at all about one of his best friends. As long as he got what he wanted, Elena would just have to suffer. And Caroline, she would just have to suffer too. Because revenge had become more important to Tyler than being with her. And now they were both having to pay for that.

They had made their way into the living room as they were talking and as she looked now, she spotted both hers and Klaus's jackets slung over the couch. Panic gripped her for a second. Matt must have found them. 'Does he know who they belong to? Has he guessed why they were left lying on the porch last night?'

If Matt had noticed anything, he wasn't saying so. He was looking at Caroline with a curious expression on his face. Slowly, he reached out and lifted one of her hands in his and looked at her. "Care, why do you have to _remind _yourself of the things Klaus has done? The rest of us... we just know."

Her face was dumbfounded, but he saved her from having to reply by letting go and pointing to the couch. "I figured you and Tyler must have left them here in a hurry last night. Now I know why."

She didn't know what to say to him, but once again was saved from having to reply by a voice coming from the doorway,

"Actually, mate," said Klaus, leaning against the doorframe with a cocky smile on his face, "that belongs to me."

Although he was smiling, inside he was desperate to rip the hand that Matt had just been touching Caroline with off and beat him to death with it. Instead, he settled for leveling his gaze onto her and smirking.

"Morning love, how are you today?" Watching the look on her face, as though she were a rabbit caught in headlights made him want to burst out laughing. At least it took the urge to slaughter her friend away. Until the boy his sister was so pathetically in love with found it expedient to talk again. He didn't rip his head off, but he thought about it.

"What's going on here?" Matt asked, looking back and forth between Caroline and Klaus, both of whom were looking at each other and seemed to be ignoring him.

After a few awkward seconds, Caroline tore her gaze from Klaus to look at Matt again. "Nothing's going on Matt." She was panicking. Not only was her friend drawing his own conclusions about what might have happened here last night, but she was pretty sure she had just been overheard in everything she had said in Klaus' defence. She shot Klaus a pleading look, which he completely ignored. Turning to Matt, with his smirk spreading, he replied,

"Nothing much going on mate. We kissed, now it's awkward."

**I know, I know... last words were Damon's about his kiss with Elena but I loved the line so much I stole it. Hope you guys liked. Please review. And feel free to message me with any questions, ideas, anything you'd like to see or really not see in the story. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks once again for the reviews. Hope you guys don't hate this chapter too much. **

Time had frozen. All that Caroline could hear was the sound of her own thundering heartbeat. This was not happening. This was so _not_ happening. Matt was still staring dumbfounded at her and she opened her mouth to speak, but found that no words would come. She was going to kill Klaus for this. Hadn't he caused her enough pain? Matt would hate her for this. And he would tell the others. They would hate her too. And then there was the fact that she had just been caught in the act of _defending_ him, which she did so not need. After kissing him like that last night there was no way that he needed any other encouragement to suggest she actually felt anything for him. All of these thoughts going round in her head had momentarily distracted her from the fact that the men in the room were still staring at her, waiting for her to say something.

"Caroline? Y-You kissed him?"

"I.. Matt, I-" she finally found her voice, "It was a mistake-"

"Have you lost your mind? This is Klaus, Caroline. What the hell were you thinking?"

She stared at her friend and one-time love, unable to give him an answer. She didn't know herself. Or maybe she did and just wasn't willing to admit it to herself let alone Matt. Caroline had wanted to kiss the hybrid, so she did. In a moment of weakness, she had given in to desires she had suppressed as hard as she could for as long as she could. And now, as she was finding out, she couldn't take it back.

Klaus had the grace to feel a tad ashamed of himself. Caroline's face was ready to crumble into tears like it had last night and he felt an urge to rush to her and wrap her up in his arms again. But he didn't move. Wouldn't give in. She had called their kiss a mistake. Because to her that's what it was. He had known that all along. It was the very reason that he had left her when he did. Something that she already regretted, that's all it was to her. She probably had been thinking of her boyfriend, _his treacherous hybrid_, the whole time. For someone so used to rejection, he shouldn't have felt a slight stab to his chest at hearing her say it. But he did anyway.

Suddenly, he wasn't feeling so pleased with himself.

"Matt, I was upset. It just.. it just happened.."

Matt looked furious, staring back and forth between them. Klaus remained in the doorway, his grin now faded and a mask of total calm had taken its place. Although he would meet a thousand white oak stakes before ever admitting to it, what the little football player did next was possibly the bravest thing he had ever seen a human do.

His eyes turned to glare at Klaus."You took advantage, didn't you? If you ever touch her again.. I swear, I will find a way to kill you."

Klaus quirked a brow at him in mock amusement. He took a step into the house, ready to advance on Matt and possibly tear his face, as well as his hand, off and feed them both to him. But in a flash of blonde, he came face to face with an angry Caroline. She was looking at him with the same expression she had only 2 days ago when he had bitten her. Disappointment. Betrayal. Anger. But strangely, as before, there was no fear in her glorious eyes as they burned into his.

"You've done enough," she told him for the second time in 2 days. "Just go."

Something inside of him snapped at her words. He should break her neck and tear the Donovan boy to pieces then drag her away with him. Claim her as his own whilst still wearing the blood of her ex, a _boy _who had dared to defy him. Had _dared _to touch what should belong to him alone. Just as he should already have separated Tyler Lockwood's head from his body. This woman, this infant vampire. This... _baby _had made him far too soft and far too lenient. While he would just have to live with the knowledge that he could never truly harm her again - her pathetic friends had used her as their shield against him for the very last time. He would bathe in their blood and make her join him. He would ravish her among their broken remains until the only word she could utter was _his _name. He would never win her fairly, she had made that clear. She was leaving him no option. What was the point in being made weak and vulnerable by love if the damn feeling was not even reciprocated?

His eyes glowed yellow for a brief moment as he glared right back at her. And it was the sudden spark of fear he saw in her face that saved them both. Klaus knew he was a monster. But this beautiful, brave creature in front of him had already captured him and whatever it cost him he would make sure that he was never again the cause of her pain. He _would _prove himself worthy of being saved and pray to whatever it was monsters were supposed to pray to that it would be enough.

As usual, Caroline could see everything he was feeling right across his face. Where Matt saw a monster about to kill, she could see the internal struggle being played out inside of him and her heart froze in her chest as his features returned to normal. He had stopped. For her. Again.

By now, somehow captured in this moment of simply staring at each other, they forgot they had company. He raised a hand to gently touch her face and watched, fascinated, as her eyes slid shut. Klaus felt her hand rest against his chest lightly, almost as though she were afraid of hurting him.

As Matt stared on in growing horror, Klaus leaned forward and placed a tender kiss to Caroline's forehead. And then he was gone.

Caroline opened her eyes and whispered a thank you so low that she knew Matt wouldn't hear. But _he_ would.

Turning back to her friend, she held her hand up to stop him speaking. She needed to say this.

"Matt, I'm sorry. I know you don't understand. I don't even understand. But me and Klaus... It's different than it is with Klaus and anyone else. I know what he's done, trust me. And I know that I should never have kissed him. But I did and I can't take it back now. I swear to you I never meant to and it was the only time it ever happened."

"You're right, Care, I don't understand. I thought you hated him." He told her. But although he looked weary and confused, he was clearly willing to blame this on Klaus entirely and put it down to her being taken advantage of in her moment of weakness. But she knew better than that. She knew how it really felt to be taken advantage of, used and abused for the entertainment of someone else and Klaus had never done that to her. The one time he had tried he couldn't go through with it. She knew how it felt to be _made _to kiss someone against her will and she couldn't let her friend think Klaus capable of something like that.

"It was my choice. I kissed him. And he brought me home Matt, he stopped me and he brought me home. He made sure that he didn't take advantage of me." Shame burned at her admitting this to him, but she needed him understand. Maybe if he did she could convince him not to tell their friends about this. Compulsion crossed her mind but she rejected the idea immediately. Nothing good ever came of it and she couldn't do that, not to him.

"What about Elena, Care? Everything he's done to her.. how could you do that to her?" That stung. That really stung her. Tears filling her eyes, she levelled her glare on him now.

"Elena? Why is it _always _about Elena?" Matt flinched. "She's my best friend. She's like my _sister_. And it's because of her that I've been fighting the way I've been feeling for months now."

"Caroline, I-"

"No, Matt," she cut him off, "No. Elena chose to be with _Damon. _All I did was kiss Klaus. One kiss! Damon _compelled me to have SEX with him _Matt. He used and abused me whatever way he felt like. He tried to kill me, more than once. He left scars _all over me_. Trust me, I know how it feels to be taken advantage of. Elena's current Salvatore has hurt me far more than Klaus ever has. Let's not forget that he killed your sister. And he killed her brother! Yet everyone rushes to forgive him and if we dare have a problem with her being with him somehow we're the bad guys. So don't you _dare_ use her feelings against me. Nobody gave a damn about mine when she jumped into bed with the guy who _raped_ me."

Tears were streaming down her face now but she didn't seem to notice. Matt crossed the floor and pulled her into his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder, shaking. She had never said it out loud before. She had never thought she had to, but judging by the look on Matt's face, he hadn't worked it out for himself that surely Damon was sleeping with her while compelling her to be his blood donor. Or perhaps he hadn't cared to think about it. After all, she wasn't Elena. Feeling treacherous for even thinking this way about her best friend, she clung onto Matt tighter, wishing she had never opened her mouth.

After a moment, they pulled back from each other to rest their foreheads together. "I'm so sorry Care." She lifted her face to give him a weak smile and froze as they were surprised for the second time that day. Stood in the doorway this time, looking at once lost and infuriated was one Stefan Salvatore. Wrapped in his arms was the lifeless body of Elena's little brother. She didn't need to ask, his face told her that he had heard more than enough.

Outside, out of sight across the street, Klaus stood like a statue. His eyes were filled with the kind of fury that not even his sweet Caroline would be able to ease. _Damon. _

**_I love Damon... but I wanted Caroline to have her moment. Reviews are good :) Till next time_**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter sort of got away from me. I hope you guys like the direction the story goes in. The idea for this chapter wouldn't leave me alone as I was writing it so hopefully it worked out okay. Please be patient, I haven't written before this in a long time. I left out the majority of what happened in the last episode and this goes completely A/U from here. **

Caroline pushed her face into her pillow, fighting back the tears that were desperate to escape. Today had been just about the worst of her life. She was beginning to regret Klaus taking pity on her and saving her life.

Her boyfriend was gone. And if she ever saw him again it would either be to see his body or watch him die. Jeremy was dead. Bonnie had lost her damn mind. And Elena was so far gone Caroline was pretty sure she would never be coming back again.

All she had left were Matt and possibly Stefan. And she wasn't sure if she even had him anymore either. He had acted all day long as if he had never heard what she said this morning and she had let him. Because they had more important things going on.

Like the fact that her best friend's little brother was dead and she had shut off her humanity and burned her home to the ground. Caroline didn't know what to do. She half felt like turning her own emotions off. But she knew that she would not afford herself that luxury. There would be a funeral to plan and Elena to help. Plus she needed to be there for Matt, who was taking this loss hard and no longer had anyone else either. She had her suspicions about his lasting feelings for Elena as well, and watching her go off the deep end would be just as hard for him as it would be for Stefan and Damon, she was sure.

All in all, it had definitely been a crappy day. Caroline considered calling Stefan to see how Elena was, but couldn't summon the courage to scroll through her phone for his number. What if he hated her? Sure they were close, he had relied on her for so much recently and she had always relied on him to be there for her since her turning. Yet now, she didn't know how he was going to feel about her. Damon was, after all, his brother. His only family. Maybe he would think she was lying and hate her. Or maybe he would excuse Damon immediately and come up with some reason as to why it was different, what he had done to Caroline, because he was a vampire. Or because she had quite willingly went to bed with him before she knew he was a monster... There was no way that Stefan _hadn't _heard her admit to kissing Klaus. Maybe he was angry with her for that as well. At least neither he nor Matt had raised the subject of the Original Hybrid again. The thoughts were killing her. Stefan brushing this under the carpet would be the best thing for all of them, but she couldn't help feeling slightly resentful that yet again, her pain was forgotten in favor of sparing everyone else the trouble of having to deal with it.

Tyler was not responding to her messages and despite the knowledge that he probably had not received them, she found herself getting mad at him for not being here, yet again, when he was needed. Regardless of the fact that he was running for his life. He could have asked her to come with him... He could have never plotted to kill someone hundreds of years and a hundred times more powerful than himself... 'No.' she told herself, 'those thoughts, not helping Forbes.'

As she closed her eyes, wishing for sleep to come and carry her away from all the tragedy and confusion of the day, she heard the front door knock. Sighing, she got up to open it, shuffling quietly out of her room. It was Stefan. Despite everything that was going on, he was here. Tears yet again pricked at her eyes as she moved to open the door to him. She managed a brief, "Hey,-" before he swept into her home and grabbed her in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry, Caroline. I am so sorry." He said, a hand coming up to run through her hair as she buried her face in his neck, tears silently leaking.

"No I'm sorry." she told him, her voice surprisingly strong. "I should never have said anything. I was just..." She trailed off, unsure what to say.

Stefan gently pulled away from her and grabbed her hand tightly. Leading her into her living room, he sat her on the sofa and immediately pulled her against him again.

"No, Caroline. None of this is your fault, you hear me? None of it. I should have known. I should have guessed. I didn't think that he would do..." he paused, "_that_." He finished lamely.

She gave a small snort and he flinched. But as she turned her face to look up at him and saw the guilt and sorrow written on his face, she took her own advice to Klaus and decided to show him some mercy rather than launch into an angry speech about how evil and vindictive and manipulative Damon was. How somebody should have guessed and, and, _saved _her from him.

"It's okay, Stefan. I'm okay. I was just angry with Matt and I said it and now I can't take it back and I know that but I'd rather we just forgot the whole thing and dealt with, well, everything... that we have to deal with now."

Caroline was giving him an out. An opportunity to forget that he had ever known this and get back to the way things were. Part of him wanted to take it. After everything they had been though, he and Damon had finally started to appreciate having each other. And if it were anyone else sat here with him, asking him to forget the horrors his brother had put them through, he probably would have agreed. But this was _Caroline. _

"Despite what you must think, Caroline. I care a hell of a lot about you. This past few weeks I never would have made it through without you. You're the closest friend I've ever had and I won't just forget that my-my _brother _hurt you like that. It was never okay, what he did in the first place. And I've been as guilty as anyone else of letting it go so easily. For that I am truly sorry, Caroline." He shifted on the couch to face her and took both of her hands in his own. "But, I promise you, for what it's worth, I will _never _let _anyone _hurt you ever again. Not even my brother. Not even Klaus."

It was her turn to flinch slightly as he mentioned the hybrid. But he continued speaking as if he hadn't noticed.

"I will _kill _him if he ever lays a hand on you again. I promise you that. "

Caroline wasn't sure if he was talking about Klaus or Damon and she told him so. Stefan let out a small laugh, which shocked her into a smile of her own. "I meant Damon. But if Klaus ever lays an unwanted hand on you I'll kill him too. But from what I heard..." He trailed off and looked at her.

"I know, Stefan, I know. I didn't mean to do it and-"

"It's okay," he cut her off, "It's not exactly my place to judge someone who sleeps with an Original..." He looked away guiltily.

Caroline's eyes widened at this. "Tell me you did not sleep with that evil blood-slut.. Oh my God you did!" She pulled the cushion from behind her and hit him on the arm with it. "Are you serious? I swear, I don't know why I've bothered keeping my pants on around Klaus for months! None of the rest of you have any self-control, why should I have to suffer?!"

Stefan didn't have time to find a response as the door knocked again. They looked at each other warily. Damon was at the boarding house with Elena, Matt and Bonnie had went home and Sheriff Forbes was at work. As Caroline put the cushion down and made to stand, the door knocked again, this time more insistent. They exchanged another glance as both made their way to the door to see Klaus standing there, fist ready to bang the door again. He looked pale and frantic. Carolines stomach dropped as she opened the door and he brushed past her, grabbing her arm and practically dragging her into her living room. Stefan had barely managed a "Hey, don't drag her like that." before Klaus had rounded on him. "Silas is here."

Their eyes widened in horror, but Klaus wasn't done yet. He turned to Caroline, a look of fierce determination on his face. "You are coming with me love." As both Caroline and Stefan opened their mouths to object, he silenced them both by withdrawing a stake from inside his jacket. "You come with me willingly Caroline sweetheart, or I kill your best mate here and drag you with me kicking and screaming anyway. It's your choice."

Stefan moved to stand in front of Caroline and glared at him, "Why the hell do you want her to go with you? And go where? And how do _you _know where Silas is?"

Klaus sighed, he was exhausted, but he needed them to understand what was at stake here.

"If he isn't here already mate, he will be. And _she _needs to _not_ be here when he is."

_When he had arrived home earlier, he had the intention of sorting through his brothers belongings and then heading out to find Damon Salvatore and destroying him. Slowly. With lots of pain involved. But he had only gotten as far as his brother's top drawer. Inside it had been everything that Kol had gathered on the legend of Silas over the years. Pain had gripped him as he remembered his younger brothers death and he found himself going through Kol's research._

_He had obviously recently been in touch with witches about the subject because Klaus came across print outs of emails that had passed back and forth between Kol and some warlock named Sheldon. They seemed to be a re-telling of the story of how Silas had loved some unknown girl and his best mate had murdered her then buried him. The pain of being without the girl he loved had driven him mad. "Know how you feel mate," he had muttered, reading on. Nobody knew who his lover was, but, it seemed, a drawing of the girl in question, done by a witch who had seemingly had visions of the whole tale_ existed._ Among the emails, Kol had requested a copy of the drawing. Now halfway intrigued, Klaus had searched among the papers and finally found it._

_It was a tad grainy, a photocopy of a pencil drawing on a piece of worn, old parchment. But Klaus would know that face anywhere. It had haunted both his dreams and his waking hours for months now. His face was a picture of horror. She was an 18 year old girl! Only recently made immortal. This very picture had been made centuries before her birth! So how on earth was the face of his sweet Caroline staring back at him from the page?! He needed to get to her and get her out of sight as soon as possible. Because if the oldest, deadliest being on the planet saw her... No. He was not even going to entertain the thought. Caroline would be safe. He would MAKE her safe, no matter what. _

Stefan and Caroline were looking at each other in confusion and growing dread. "So you're telling me that some witch did a sketch of MY face, hundreds of years ago and now you want me to go run and hide with you in case a psycho even more psycho than you and thousands of years older mistakes me for his dead girlfriend?"

"Love, that is exactly what I am telling you. Now you have two minutes, go pack a bag. And hurry up."

Caroline stared at him, stubbornly refusing to do a thing she was told. He sighed in exasperation. "Caroline, I meant what I said, I will kill him if you don't move."

She looked to Stefan, uncertainty clouding her face. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't be real. "Just because I look like someone-"

Klaus cut her off, his impatience finally getting the better of him. In two strides he was in front of her, gripping her arms painfully. "Caroline, you are a dead ringer for someone he has apparently been pining for for _thousands of years_. What do you think he will do if he sees you? Something is going on here and until we figure out what that is we need to keep you hidden. I need to keep you safe."

Something akin to desperation was showing on his face and this scared her more than anything. If _Klaus _was afraid then she knew that she should be petrified. "I-I- Okay.." He released her arms and with a scared glance at Stefan, she turned and left the room.

Which left Stefan and Klaus to do nothing but glare at each other. "If you hurt her in any way-"

"Listen mate, we don't have time for the big brother chat alright? I am trying to _protect _her. That includes protecting her from some hare-brained scheme of you and the rest of her so-called friends to use her in some way against your new enemy." In case Stefan managed to miss what he meant, Klaus added, "This Silas bloke may not be as forgiving as I am.."

Before Stefan could reply, Caroline was back in the room, a black bag over her shoulder, an uncertain, nervous look on her face.

"What about my mom?" She asked no one in particular.

"Stefan will tell her you've had to go away for a bit, love." said Klaus, with a look that dared Stefan to argue. "She will be kept safe, don't worry."

"Where are you taking Caroline?"

"To my home. Which no one but the three of us will know." There was no mistaking the warning in his tone.

Caroline had barely time to hug her best friend before Klaus had practically dragged her out the door.

They were at his house in minutes. Still unsure of what the dynamic between them should be now, neither of them said a thing as he led her inside and straight up the stairs into a guest bedroom. She placed her bag on top of the bed and looked awkwardly around the room. Klaus now watching her with an unreadable, even to her, expression on his face.

Finally, he made to move, "Make yourself comfortable love. And try to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." He turned to leave and was surprised to hear his name, almost a whisper. She looked up at him as he turned back to face her. He was struck by the unshed tears in her eyes and wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss them all away. Klaus stared, fascinated as the first slid over her cheek and at vamp speed he was in front of her, pulling her against him, her tiny body fitting against his as though it was meant to be there all along. "I would never let anyone harm you Caroline. You will be safe. I promise."

That was the second time tonight someone had sworn to protect her. Caroline didn't know what to think, or say. Instead of trying to, she simply pushed her face into his shoulder, holding tightly to him and prayed that they would be able to.

As Klaus made to release her, after what seemed like hours but must only have been moments, she shook her head. Tightening her grip on him instead. "You need to sleep love." He told her softly. Caroline gave a small nod against him.

"Will you stay with me? Please, Klaus. I-I don't wanna be alone."

He didn't respond, he simply picked her up, pulled the covers back on the bed and placed her in it. He then climbed in beside her and pulled her to him. Caroline rested her head against his muscular chest as he tucked them in and closed her eyes.

"Why are you doing this Klaus? Protecting me?"

"Caroline love, you already know the answer to that question."

She didn't respond. Safe in his arms with his scent surrounded her, she had already fallen asleep.

**Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you thought and whether it's worth continuing the story. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone. Little bit of Damon/Stefan in this chapter, but plenty of Klaroline too don't worry! Now, I have to confess, I have two great loves in my tv-watching life and they are Klaus Mikaelson (obviously :D ) and one Eric Northman from True Blood. Since the writers of neither show feel like making me a happy, happy girl and casting Alexander Skarsgard as Silas in TVD, my poor fangirl heart will just have to have him as Silas in the story. So try to picture him when Silas pops up in the story :) **

Stefan stood in the living room of Caroline's home. He still had not quite wrapped his head around the fact that not only was Silas free and headed this way, but he would most likely be after Caroline. If he arrived in Mystic Falls it wouldn't take long for him to come across at least a picture or an actual glimpse of his friend. And she would be in danger, yet again. He really didn't know how she coped. They were all magnets for trouble, but it was always Caroline, or Bonnie, who seemed to get hurt the most. In the most damaging ways at least. All in the name of protecting Elena. He wondered, as he took a look around the room one last time, how many of their friends would be willing to sacrifice everything to help save Caroline. He knew he would. With a weary sigh, he sped off to find his brother.

He found him at home, drinking. Big surprise. "We need to talk, Damon."

Damon gave a sigh before downing his bourbon and turning to face his brother. "Listen, Stefan, we both know there was no other way to-"

"This isn't about Elena, Damon. It's about Caroline. She's in trouble." He watched as a frown appeared on Damon's face. Momentarily, Stefan could swear he saw a worried look cross his brothers face before his features morphed back into his usual snarky expression. Or maybe he was looking for some kind of caring. Wishful thinking was a bitch, it made you doubt what you saw with your own eyes. "What's blondie gone and gotten herself into now?"

"Silas' dead girlfriend, the one his witch friend murdered? She's the double of Caroline. We need to work out a way to protect her and bring him down. If he sees her who knows what he'll do. The guys been dead for over two thousand years, so he shouldn't even know that she exists. But we don't know enough to be sure of that. We don't know anything. Until we do, we need to keep her out of sight."

Damon nodded, he turned back to pour himself another drink. If he was shocked, he never let it show. "Okay, so where is Vampire Barbie? Get her over here and we'll have a sleepover while we work out how to get ourselves killed. I'll even let you have first pick of the women." He said with a smirk. Stefan crossed the room in a heartbeat and had his brother by the throat. "What the hell, Stef-"

Stefan looked furious. "It's funny isn't it Damon? Taking women and using and _abusing _them whatever way you want. You're something really special, aren't you brother? I did a lot of horrible, hateful things in the past... but even I never did _that_. What you did to Caroline was disgusting-" Damon had the grace to look completely ashamed as he pushed his brother away.

"Had a little heart-to-heart with her did you?" Damon was refusing to look at his brother. What he had done to Caroline still came back to haunt him at times. He was surprised that she hadn't said anything sooner, especially when he started getting involved with Elena. But she hadn't and he had assumed that Caroline had forgiven and forgotten. They had been getting on better these days. In little ways he had tried to make his behaviour up to her, but he knew he never really could. He barely even flinched as Stefans fist collided with his face. Knew he deserved it.

"You're my brother, and I love you Damon. But Caroline is like my little sister, I love her too and I swear to you... If you ever hurt her again I will kill you." With that, he turned and left the room.

Damon lifted his glass again and poured a drink, while spitting blood out of his mouth. Before he raised the glass to his lips he murmured a soft, "I'm sorry."

Caroline awoke to find her face pressed into Klaus' chest. Not an entirely awful experience, not that she would ever admit that out loud. His arms remained locked as tightly around her as they had the previous night. She wanted to lift her head up to look at his face, but didn't want to move in case she woke him. A hundred different things were running through her mind. If this Silas guy was as dangerous and as bad as everyone had made out then she was in some serious trouble. It also occurred to her that he was probably even stronger, and even more powerful than Klaus. So even though he could not be killed, and she had no idea why this was a comforting thought to her, he may not be able to protect her from a pissed off ancient vampire.

She was scared. No, screw scared... She was petrified. Unconsciously, she pressed her face against Klaus' chest and brought her hand up to grip his shirt tightly. Without even noticing, she had drawn the Hybrid from his slumber. Lost in her thoughts, it took her a few minutes to realise that his fingers were running slowly though her hair. Neither of them said a word. Caroline tightened her grip on him and let her eyes close. He was her enemy, she knew that. She should _not _be laying in his arms, in his house. And she should certainly not be drawing comfort from him. But she was. And for once, she was too weary and frightened to put on her bitchy facade for him.

They both lay in silence for a while, Klaus simply enjoying the thrill of having the girl he had been tortured by for months tucked up against his chest. She was the first woman he had ever laid down with and simply held in his arms. Fight, feed, fuck, destroy. But never, ever, _cuddle_. What was this baby vampire doing to him? Most women, even the ones who played hard to get, had simply opened their legs for him willingly. And quickly. Then he had been done with them. Most he had killed. Some he had played with for a short time, happily manipulating and playing with his food before eating it when he grew bored with the foreplay. Pretending to be a man. That's what he had been doing. Pretending he was not a monster, but someone who could love and be loved in return. But it never lasted. The novelty had always worn off and the feelings were never there to begin with. Women were merely... entertainment.

Until this little ray of light in the long, lonely darkness had burst into his life, leaving a trail of confusion and heat and excitement and something resembling fear in her wake. He had not paid enough attention to Kol's pleas. His warnings about Silas. And it had cost him his little brother. He would not make the same mistake again. Klaus would _not _lose the light of the precious thing he held in his arms. He would keep her safe. Even if it meant keeping her safe so that she could harbor the illusion of returning to Tyler's arms. As long as she was alive and alright. He would make that be enough for him.

Caroline almost jumped out of her skin as his voice penetrated her relaxed state. "Love, we should rise. We have a lot to do." She inwardly sobbed at the loss of his arms as she nodded and pulled away.

His back to business attitude had been just what she needed. Because she couldn't think of a damn thing to say to him. About their kiss, about Matt or the fact that she had practically begged him to spend the night in the same bed as her. So she told him she wanted to shower and he showed her to the bathroom in her temporary bedroom. After that he left her in peace, muttering about finding some breakfast for them. Neither seemed quite able to look each other in the eye. Their lips, and their arms, needed no help at all, _they_ knew exactly what to tell each other. But finding words after the closeness they had shared and the fact that they were, well, enemies, was more than a little awkward.

Klaus paced his kitchen, arguing quietly as he could with the man on the other end of the phone. "It is what is best for her. If you had any sense you would accompany us mate and let the witch fix this mess."

Caroline finished her shower and dressed hurriedly. The promise of breakfast had made her eager to be in Klaus' company again. It was when she was halfway down the stairs that she heard his voice. He was shout-whispering now, a move that signalled he didn't want her to hear what he was talking about. She had done the same in the quiet of the night in her own house enough times to know. Instead of risking his wrath by trying to eavesdrop, she should make her presence obvious to him. So naturally, she immediately tiptoed closer to the sound of his voice.

"I don't care for what happens to your bloody girlfriend anymore Stefan! Caroline is leaving Mystic Falls and she will not be returning, or contacting any of you until I am certain that its safe for her. This isn't a debate mate."

Caroline was horrified. Elena and the rest of her friends needed her. They were going to need all of the help they could get if they were going to be taking on a mythical evil that was more powerful than anything they had ever taken on before. She couldn't just pack a bag and skip town with Klaus. She would never forgive herself. As quietly and quickly as she could, she fled his mansion. His argument with Stefan was still going on and she prayed that he would be too focused on that to hear her leave.

Klaus hung up his phone in a temper. He wasn't running from anything - which his old friend had dared to accuse him of. He was afraid of one thing in the world and that was losing Caroline. He did not need to explain that to Stefan. He would do whatever it took to keep her out of harms way. Something her friends had never managed to achieve.

He noticed the sound of the shower had ceased. She should be down any second now, so he grabbed a bloodbag from the fridge and set about preparing some human food for them. One of his compelled women could do it, but he felt sure Caroline would disapprove. A chuckled escaped him at the thought of her reaction to such a thing. But it died on his face as he realised the house was far too quiet for his **hybrid** ears. It took two seconds for him to discover that Caroline was no longer in the mansion. He cursed himself for not paying more attention while he was on the phone. With a furious roar, he sped from the house.

She sped into town as fast as she could, unsure what to do. Stopping outside The Grill, she took a second to think. If she went home, Klaus would easily find her and just drag her away again. Make her leave her mom, and her friends. Panic was quickly settling in as she realised there was nowhere for her to go until it hit her, Bonnie! Bonnie had just about invited her and Stefan into her home, her hatred of vampires so strong, so Caroline was sure that Klaus had never been invited inside.

She span around to head for the witches, when a pair of hands appeared as if from nowhere and gripped her arms painfully. 'Crap,' she thought. Struggling to break free, she found that even moving her arms let alone wrenching free wasn't an option. "Look, I can't just leave okay. I-" She was whipped around to face her attacker, fully expecting to come face to face with a furious Klaus. Panic and shock and confusion followed as she stared into eyes that were the wrong shade of blue to be his. And he was at least a foot taller than the hybrid vampire that she would just love to have appear right now. Whoever it was, he was absolutely beautiful, she would give him that. His blonde hair shone out like a halo on a demon and his smooth porcelain skin should not have looked so soft on such masculine features. A vague feeling of deja vu came over her as a pair of lips attacked hers with intensity. A feeling of familiarity was attached to his kiss, which was impossible. 'Uh-oh.' Was her only thought before his lips released her and the world went dark.

**-A/N - Hope you guys liked. Reviews are good. It's late and I have no beta, so please forgive any mistakes or obvious plot holes. I'll make it up to you all soon with some lemony goodness. Cross my heart :) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone, glad you liked the last chapter. Thanks again for the reviews and follows and favs, you guys make me want to write. To answer a question posted, this is most definitely a Klaroline fic, I just picture the character of Silas as one of my favourite actors who happens to play another vampire. His character is not based on Eric Northman, he just looks like him lol. Anyway, sorry if this chap doesn't make sense or if you guys don't like it. It's 5.30am for me and I've written all night so I'm not sure if it even makes sense to me lol. Hope you enjoy :) **

Klaus sped into town, determined to find her before anyone else did. He knew he was being overprotective and possibly foolish. Silas awakening did not mean he would arrive in Mystic Falls. Or stay long enough to discover that Caroline even existed. There was also the small problem of the old vampire wanting to bring down the veil between their world and the other side. The last thing Klaus needed was the resurrection of Mikael and Esther. But at the moment, he couldn't find it in him to care. His sole focus was protecting his little ray of light. The rest was insignificant. And it made him all the more furious. Love was a vampires greatest weakness and this was exactly why. He would let the entire world fall into hell as long as it meant she was okay. And she didn't even want him.

His anger propelled him along. What he found outside of the Mystic Grill did nothing to help matters. His Caroline... HIS Caroline being kissed by someone he had never seen before. His stomach twisted painfully as he realised who this must be. Fury was turning his eyes yellow as he watched her try to break free from the grasp of Silas. His huge hands were holding her against him and Klaus lost all sense of reason. As he sped towards them, intent on ripping out Silas' heart and stamping on it, he saw he had been noticed. The huge man raised his eyes to meet Klaus' and immediately grabbed Caroline and disappeared in a blur. Even his Hybrid strength and speed could not match Silas as he lost them straight away.

Fear shot through him. Silas had her. He had Caroline. And there hadn't been a thing Klaus could do to stop him. The sense of powerlessness was overwhelming. There was nothing he could do. All that he could do was pray Silas wouldn't harm her until they could find and retrieve her.

* * *

Caroline woke up with a pounding head. As what had just happened came screaming back to her she let out an involuntary yelp of fear. She had been lying against something uncomfortable. Sitting up, she was in darkness. Her heightened vision immediately got used to her surroundings and she realised she was in the caves. 'Great, I'm gonna die in a damp craphole and no one will even find my body.'

Movement from her right made her jump and she stared in horror as the man who had grabbed her made himself known.

"Hello, my love." He whispered. Caroline noted that his accent was definitely not from around here. He didn't sound British like the Originals, but his English wasn't American. Just then she noticed how stupid it was to be focusing on the accent of the psychopath who had just kissed and then abducted her.

She scrambled back towards the wall of the cave, as far away from him as she could get. "I. you You're Silas..."

"Of course. Do you not remember me my love?" The stranger moved slowly towards her but stopped as she all but pushed her back through the wall to get away from him. Confusion was clear on his face as he stared intently at her.

"I know that I look like, like somebody else..." Caroline tried to explain, but her hands were shaking, as was her voice. Getting out of this situation like, right now, was her goal and she had no idea how to manage it without getting herself killed. Klaus had complimented her on her honesty more than once and she figured it would be worth a shot with this guy. "I'm Caroline Forbes. I was born here, in Mystic Falls 18 years ago. I'm not who you think I am. Please, _please_ let me go."

Silas took another step closer to her but didn't say anything. She took the chance to look at him properly. He was really tall, well over six feet. Those eyes were staring right at her, the same way Klaus' did at times. Hungrily. Full of want. She gulped and moved her eyes from his. Hers landed on his wide, muscular chest. He had on a simple black t-shirt underneath a leather jacket. He looked... well, normal... The deadliest, scariest being on earth looked like a fairytale prince-turned bad boy. It was all so ridiculous.

Before she could get herself killed by laughing out loud, he finally spoke. "Don't you see my love? Everything is planned, all things meant to be. It is no accident that you were reborn but eighteen years ago... You were being readied for me to rise again. It all makes sense... _Abigayil_." Silas breathed the words slowly, seeming to draw each one out to send a new level of terror through her. Before she could utter a word his fingers came up to caress her face gently. "We will be together again." he whispered, leaning towards her. Caroline knew what was coming a split second before it happened and she started struggling immediately. His lips pressed into hers regardless, coaxing her to join in the kiss. But she struggled harder. This could _not _be happening.

Silas finally seemed to give up and pulled back. His eyes were flashing with anger. As his fist went through the wall beside her head, she understood that she was not going to leave here alive. She suddenly felt like crying out for her mother.

* * *

Klaus swept into the Salvatore boarding house without even bothering to knock. If the door hadn't been unlocked he would have torn it from its hinges. Every second wasted could be the second that Caroline lost her life. He found both brothers standing shell-shocked in front of a half-naked Elena. It would have been funny on any other given day. Right now, he barely even noticed her. His focus went straight to Stefan.

"He took her." Both Stefan and Damon looked immediately worried. Elena flounced back into the bathroom with a roll of her eyes and slammed the door. For once, nobody noticed.

"What do you mean he took her?" It was Damon who spoke first.

Klaus had his hand wrapped around his throat in an instant. "I _mean _Damon, Silas took her and we need to find out where they are before he kills her. Or worse." He added, a furious glint in his eyes. "I'm sure you know what I mean and rest assured when we do get her back I will be paying you a visit."

Before the situation could deteriorate any further, Stefan stepped in. "This isn't helping us find Caroline, Klaus. How did he get her?"

Klaus finally released an unusually quiet Damon and turned back to Stefan. "She ran away. I caught up to her outside the Grill, but he already had her." Both brothers eyes went wide as Klaus went on to explain that Silas had been too quick for even him to keep track of.

"Call Bonnie," said Damon, "She might not be too far gone to do a locator spell on Caroline. Just don't mention Silas."

"How do we know that Bonnie isn't with them now? You saw her, she's changed. Silas got to her." Stefan replied.

"We'll know if she refuses to help. And we'll have some idea of where Silas would have taken Blondie."

Nodding, Stefan pulled out his phone and hurriedly dialed Bonnie's number. He had sworn just last night to protect his best friend, today he was going to make sure he kept that promise.

* * *

Caroline could feel the tears threatening to escape. After Silas had punched a hole in the wall he had released her and moved to sit at the opposite wall. Panic was gripping her and she thought desperately about what to do. If she tried to run he would stop her. If she pretended that she knew him to get his guard to drop, she might make it out. But that ship had already sailed and she was certain she wouldn't have been able to keep up the pretense for long enough to have any use.

"The spirits are not done torturing me." He said suddenly, in a whisper so low if she had been human she wouldn't have heard him. "There is always a price. And there is always _him_" The last word was spit out in a snarl. "He will not stand in my way again. They will not stand in my way again. I will make you remember me. I will find a way. I will kill him for good and then nothing shall stop us. We will own this world and the next... together." He was making a hell of a vow and Caroline didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Trying to engage him, she slid down to sit.

"Who is he?" She asked quietly. He flinched, not expecting her to speak and he glared at her.

"Him, you ask? He who always tried to stand in my way when it came to you. He who dared try to make you his wife although I loved you best of all. I saw him, today. His face changed into something demonic. He found a way to survive also I see. But he will not take you from me this time. Working with my best friend to keep us apart... he must have been devastated when he discovered that she had killed you." A small smirk had appeared on his face.

Caroline's mind was working overtime. She was scared and alone and had just about enough of this crap. "I don't know who or what the hell you are talking about! I've never been married, never even been close and all I know about you is that you have been dead for a long, long time. So could you just let me go or kill me already cause I've had enough now."

She jumped as he got to his feet in a blur of movement. She'd done it now. Hoped he would make it quick. But he didn't kill her. Instead, he smiled. "I can show you. Then you shall remember me."

Before she knew what was happening the underground room and darkness had disappeared.

_Images flashed before her faster than she could follow. Glimpses of another time, another person. She saw him, Silas, smiling at her, laughing with her, staring at her with something that resembled awe on his face. She felt hands on her, his lips pressing against hers hungrily. Their clothes falling to the floor as they fumbled together in a passionate embrace. Then the scene changed. She was hand in hand with an achingly familiar man. That curly blonde hair and piercing blue eyes she would know anywhere. She was giggling with him. They were dancing together, holding onto each other tightly, smiles on their faces as though they shared a secret that no one but them would ever understand.  
_

_And him, Silas, standing quietly in the background. Watching them, brooding, silent. But she was too involved with him, too wrapped up in his loving embrace to notice Silas there. She was with the man she loved and she was happy. She felt his lips on hers, this man who looked so like Klaus. She felt his strong arms around her and felt so much more than just passion... she was lost in love and desire. Happiness.  
_

With the sound of an angry snarl, Caroline abruptly found herself back in the darkness. "What was that?" she whispered. She was still lost in the images he had shown her. Klaus. He had been there. With her. But that was impossible...

"That was not supposed to happen. Something interfered with what I was trying to show you. Your memories must have come into play. That is... strange.." He was talking more to himself than her it seemed, because he didn't even look at her.

The sound of her name being called brought her out of her musing. Hope filled her and her face broke into a bright smile as she recognised that voice. _Klaus. _He had come for her. "I'm here. Klaus I-" Her voice was muffled as Silas grabbed her, hand pressed against her mouth to stop her. She struggled wildly now. Klaus was here, Silas didn't know what he was in for.

* * *

Klaus' heart clenched in his chest as he heard her call out for him. She was alive. Her voice had sounded so relieved and full of hope that it spurred him on. Stefan and Damon were struggling to keep up with him.

The sight that met his eyes when he found her made him want to slaughter something. She was fighting desperately against the hold of Silas. Who looked even bigger up close. Not that Klaus was worried. His rage would help him tear Silas to pieces. The Salvatores nearly collided with him in their hurry when they caught up to him and both froze at the sight in front of them.

"You... How did you survive? You should have died in the gutter two thousand years ago, yet here you are, yet again trying to possess that which belongs to me." Silas' low, dangerous voice echoed around the cave. It was clear his words were for Klaus, who merely raised an eyebrow at him.

"No idea what you're on about mate. How about you let the girl go and we'll talk about it?" He replied easily, sparing only a glance for Silas. His sole focus was once again the beautiful blonde who was now staring at him with hope in her eyes. She truly believed that he was going to get her out of here. Klaus did not feel like letting her down for the second time in one week.

Silas had said nothing in response. He was glaring at Klaus with absolute hatred in his eyes. Stefan stepped into the room, finally catching Silas' attention. "Let the girl go." He said quietly.

Before anyone could react, Silas had released Caroline and went for Stefan. Smashing him into the wall, he pulled his hand back, ready to plunge it into Stefan's chest when Damon jumped on him from behind. All went unnoticed by Caroline, who had sped into Klaus' waiting arms the second he had released her. He pulled her close against him, gripping her in a tight hug. Then he pulled back, hands cupping her cheeks. "Run, sweetheart. Now." His voice warned no argument and she complied.

He turned to the scene in front of him and immediately jumped in. Silas was about to destroy both Salvatore's, but the added strength of Klaus allowed them the upper hand for a split second. it was enough. As Damon gripped one arm and Stefan the other, Klaus was able to reach up and snap Silas' neck. The vampire crumpled to the ground.

In a flash of blonde, Caroline was back in the room. Klaus rolled his eyes as this time she went straight for Stefan. He watched with a touch of envy as the friends embraced each other happily. Damon was the one to speak up, "So, how long we got before this guy comes to?"

* * *

They arrived back at Klaus house in record time. He had already called a witch friend and ordered that protective enchantments be placed around his home immediately. She was already on her way. He watched Caroline carefully as she interacted with the Salvatores. She seemed to be avoiding direct contact with him, but every now and again he would catch her look up at him, a confused look in her eyes. Whatever was going on in her mind, she didn't appear ready to talk about it.

He poured the four of them drinks. Once they were settled in his lounge, Caroline between the Salvatore brothers on the sofa and him standing by the fireplace, he asked her what had happened.

"I turned around," she started, "and he was literally right in front of me. He hadn't been two seconds before that and I didn't even hear him coming. Anyway, he, um, he, ah... grabbed me and took me to the cave."

"You forgot the part where he _kissed_ you." Klaus cut in. He looked disgusted.

Caroline's eyes widened. Embarrassment filled her. Klaus had mentioned on the way home that he had seen Silas take her. She'd hoped that he missed that particular bit.

Now she was looking at him with a slightly sheepish expression on her face and Damon was suddenly smirking.

"I, uh, yeah.." She refused to look at Klaus again and refused to acknowledge the part of her that felt a tinge of guilt knowing he had witnessed Silas kiss her. "Anyway, he took me to the cave and he must have knocked me out or something because I came to there. He was acting like I was supposed to know him. He kept calling me Abi. Said my name was Abigayil. And he showed me... things. He said it would help me remember him. Said it was meant to be... That I." Here, she faltered. "He said that I was born because he was going to be released and I was being made ready for him to come back. Some crap like that anyway." She downed her drink, trying to pretend that he hadn't scared the complete crap out of her.

Stefan slipped an arm around her and she leaned into him, letting out a sigh. "Why do all the psychos always want me?" She mumbled. "No offence." She added, looking at Klaus and then Damon. Stefan let out a chuckle at the matching glares that earned from his brother and the Hybrid.

Noting the death glares being turned on him, Stefan quickly changed the subject. "What did he show you, Caroline?"

Caroline looked up immediately at Klaus and he caught the uncertain look in her eyes. What had he shown her that had unnerved her so much?

"He showed me another time. It was me, I mean it felt like it was me. And I was with him. Like, _with him _with him. But then the vision, or whatever the hell it was changed, and I was with someone else and he stopped whatever he was doing to make me see it. Said my memories were interfering."

"Do you know who the other person you saw was?" Damon asked. Caroline's eyes involuntarily flashed to Klaus and Stefan picked up immediately.

"You saw Klaus, didn't you?" Caroline shot him her best how-the-hell-did-you-know-that look. "You heard what he said when he saw you." Stefan said to Klaus before turning back to Caroline. "What did you see?"

If she was human, she would be purple by now. But this was important. Something was going on and she wasn't going to be able to figure it out all by herself. She was here because these guys had come to save her, she owed them the truth. Avoiding the gaze of one very confused Hybrid, she explained what she had seen.

Nobody said anything for a few minutes and Caroline had taken to staring resolutely at the floor, determined to never look Klaus Mikaelson in the face ever again. Finally, Damon piped up. "So... two thousand years ago... you were boning both Silas and Klaus here and now both of em are back and you don't remember any of it because you weren't in existence at the time?"

"Um... yeah.." She replied. "I guess so."

* * *

Hours later, she sat with her legs pulled up beneath her on Klaus' couch. Damon had left to go check on Elena and Stefan and Klaus were outside with some witch who was placing protection spells all over the place. Caroline could only hope that they would hold. After all, Silas had a witch on his side as well. Who just so happened to be one of her best friends. Bonnie wasn't herself right now and Caroline could only hope that there was enough of her friend left to not want her hurt or all of this would be for nothing.

The witch had explained that the protection spell would keep out anyone who wasn't personally permitted entrance by Klaus. He had already invited her and Stefan in and the witch had Damon test the spell by trying to enter. Klaus had laughed a little too hard as Damon had been thrown clear across the driveway. Caroline had left them to it after that. It was peaceful here, and she found herself drifting off as the voices from outside calmed her. She was safe as long as she stayed here. And if she were sleeping when Klaus came back then he wouldn't be able to yell at her for running off in the first place.

She must have drifted off to sleep quickly, but there was anything but peace awaiting her in her dreams.

_She turned over in her bed to be faced with him. His beautiful blue eyes shone as they watched her. "You should be asleep." She murmured, as his hand came up to touch her face. "Now why," he whispered, "would I sleep when what I have in front of me is better than any dream that could be given to me?" She smiled at this. "Silas was here today." She told him, frowning as his smile immediately dropped. She leaned over to press a soft kiss against his lips. "I told him we were to be married. That he must be happy for us or leave us be forever." _

_Her words seemed to soothe him, but he did not smile again. So she kissed him again. This time, she allowed her tongue to sneak out, tracing over his lip and entering his a small sigh, he pulled her on top of him, his hands roaming down her naked back as she deepened their kiss. Slowly, she coaxed a low groan from him as her naked body moved against his. Her hands tangled in his curly blonde locks as she found his manhood and rubbed her already wet core against it. She let out a moan of her own against him as she felt him harden and throb against her. Without missing a beat, she slid him inside of her until he could go no deeper and began to move against him. Releasing her lips, he leaned up to bury his face in her neck, planting kisses and nipping gently at her skin. She gripped him to her as she slid over his pumping erection. He sat up with her, wrapping her legs around his back as he helped her impale herself on him with her moans echoing around the room. She gripped ahold of him tightly, her inner walls doing the same as she rode him faster and faster towards their peak. Heat was pooling in her stomach as she felt it building inside her. A few thrusts more and they would both be there...  
_

"Caroline, love, wake up. You need to eat."

She woke with a start. And came face to face with the man she had just been having an incredible dream about. The feelings he had aroused in her dream were still burning inside of her and without even thinking about it she had reached out to him, pulling him down on top of her. And he let her. Before either of them could speak, she kissed him. Hard. Their mouths fought for dominance as they lost themselves in each other. He ground his hips deliciously against her and she let out a low moan and slid her legs around him, pulling him closer into her. They were both frantic, gripping onto each other. And that was how Stefan found them. Caroline trying to pull Klaus' shirt off without breaking their kiss and Klaus grinding into his best friend as if they were teenagers who had just discovered the feeling.

"What are you two doing?"

**I know, I'm a bitch lol. I'll try post next chapter later as I'm half asleep now :) till next time x **


	7. Chapter 7

Caroline froze a full three seconds before Klaus did. He smirked against her at the sound of Stefan's voice. He pressed another wickedly sinful kiss against her aching lips before he pulled back. The sharp poke in the side he received in return was entirely worth it.

Caroline could barely catch her breath. And since looking her friend in the eye any time in the next century wasn't a possibility, she buried her face in her hands and let out a humiliated groan.

Stefan stared at the two of them with a mixture of disapproval, disgust and amusement.

Finding it difficult not to laugh, Klaus decided not to miss an opportunity to show the change in his relationship with Caroline to her friend. He casually reached over and hauled Caroline into his side. He kept an arm firmly around her. Part of him expected an instant withdrawal from him, possibly some angry words. But she said nothing.

"Can you give us a minute, mate?" He asked with a smirk.

Stefan looked genuinely relieved as he made his escape.

He could tell that Caroline was mortified, but he tried not to take it personally. This wasn't difficult as she had turned to bury her face in his chest, another groan escaping her. A natural smile formed on his face as he watched her. She was clearly a lot more comfortable with him than she had ever been before. It wasn't a declaration of undying love and loyalty, but he would take what he could get. This playing the hero business definitely had its good points.

The sexual tension between the pair was at least providing them with a brief respite from worry. And having her unique scent this close to him was always welcome.

Especially when the rage inside of him threatened to boil over, as it had done for days now. He still hadn't quite forgotten the mixture of terror and fury he had experienced when he saw Silas with Caroline.

Terror wasn't something he was used to feeling. The last person he had been frightened of was Mikael. And he hadn't truly feared him for centuries. As with everyone else, he had always been one step ahead of his vengeful father. But this Silas was a new entity altogether. He was not only a thousand years older than Klaus, he was also obsessed with the same girl. And it was the girl he was afraid for. Without his noticing, his hand had come up to her hair. His fingers ran through the soft strands as he pondered on the situation. She had told them that she saw visions from two thousand years ago, visions that included not only her but also him. According to her, they had seemed to be a couple, caught up in a triangle between him and Silas. Klaus rolled his eyes. Love triangles seemed to rule all their lives. His witch friend was still outside chanting, when she came inside again he would question her about past lives and whether all of this was even possible.

Caroline shifted in his arms and brought his attention back to the present.

"So... Um, thanks for the rescue."

"You're welcome love."

She pulled back to look at him. "No really, I know you seem to have developed a habit of saving me, even if most of the time it's your fault i'm in danger." She ignored his smirk as she shifted uncomfortably. "I was beyond afraid and you came for me, even though he's older and stronger than you, you still came."

It was his turn to shift uncomfortably. "Love, he is _not_ stronger than me." He ignored her smile. "And I'll always come for you Caroline. I hope you know that."

She didn't know what to say to that.

"We should talk love, about the things he showed you."

"Do you know what he was doing? Or how he did it?"

"I wish I did sweetheart, not knowing what's going on.. It is... frustrating... to say the least." Klaus was clearly thrown by this whole thing, a feeling that wasn't sitting well with him.

Her next question reminded him of why he liked this woman so much.

"Do you think that what he showed me could be real? I mean... you saw that picture of me. Could I be a doppleganger? Or is it a reincarnation thing? He said that all things are meant to happen, that I was born to be here when he rose.. I think he really believes that I'm this Abi person. And why the hell were you there? That doesn't make any sense either. He kept saying that you wouldn't take me from him, that you tried before."

"I really don't know love, perhaps my friend will be able to enlighten us when she is done with her protection spells. Rest assured sweetheart, whatever he is after from you, he will not get it as long as you are with me. I will not let him harm you." The fierce look in his eyes told her that he meant every word he was saying. Having a thousand-year old hybrid immortal on her side was definitely making her feel better. She gave him a soft smile, one that she rarely gave anyone and he smiled back, touched at the look of gratitude on her face. He could get used to this side of her.

"Klaus... Just before, when I was asleep, when you woke me up.." He knew that her face would be turning purple right now if she were human. Regardless ofher embarrassment, he refused to be sorry that she had kissed him again, only sorry that they had been caught before he could ravish her. "I was dreaming.. About us. But it didn't feel like a dream. It felt like reliving a memory or something. That's dumb, right?"

"What were we doing, in this dream?" He asked her.

"Em, we were, uh, you know, _you know_." Klaus was delighted. Between her awkward response and the fact that she was still sat reasonably close to him, talking to him as though she didn't hate him, it had been a good days progress between them as far as he was concerned. Not to mention that judging by the fact that she could barely look at him, and her reaction to him when he woke her she had clearly been having impure dreams about him as well. "We were human.. And we talked about Silas as if we both knew him." His face took on the exact expression it had in her dream when she had ruined his mood by mentioning Silas. She was starting to have a small taste of what it felt like to be Elena, torn between two men.

Luckily for her, she couldn't remember most of her "love-triangle". If that's what it was. They knew nothing about what was happening and it was getting old quickly. Caroline always had a plan and she always knew what to do. This time, she was screwed.

Caroline gave a sigh of frustration. "This is just stupid! I don't know why I was ever envious of Elena. Being the one in constant danger is not fun."

Klaus frowned, "Love, why would you ever be envious of the doppelgänger? She's a self-righteous, self-absorbed little girl who can't keep her head outside of herself for long enough to care that she is destroying the relationship of two brothers. You outshine her in every way imaginable. In fact, you outshine every other woman I have ever met and trust me Caroline, I've met a lot of women."

She should have hated him for his words about her friend. But everything else he said was making her try her best not to beam at him.

"It's just," She paused, unsure whether opening up to someone who was still her enemy was the wisest thing she could do. But screw it, he was the only person who bothered to ask. The only one who showed any interest in her outside of what she could do to help Elena. With a small sigh, she continued, "Even when we were all human and didn't know anything about vampires or witches or dopplegangers, everything was always a competition between us. One that I could never seem to win. Teachers all loved her, guys all wanted her, I was never first choice when she was around. All of that changed when I became a vampire of course. I grew up and realised that not everything is a competition. And began to care enough about myself to not make everything one. But all of our lives recently have revolved around the things happening to her and sometimes I feel like it would be nice to just, just" she trailed off, aware she probably sounded like a jealous brat.

"It would be nice for someone to worry about you for a change." He said quietly. "For the things that you go through to matter as much as the things she goes through."

"Well, yeah," she looked up at him. "When did you get so insightful?" She laughed with him as he gave a small chuckle. He was always insightful when it came to her, in fact he sometimes seemed to know her better than she did herself. "Anyway, Elena is the center of everything because someone is always trying to hurt her. You included." she spared him a glare, just to remind him that she hadn't forgotten the things he had done.

"Yes, well. Unlike Elena, you are not going to be throwing yourself on some sacrificial alter to protect your friends. You will stay here with me until we find a way to get rid of this Silas. And you will _not _run off like that again." He told her, his voice suddenly harsh.

Caroline flinched. She'd put it off for so long she forgot that he was probably furious with her for running. But she wasn't ready to be ordered around like something he owned just because she had gotten in trouble like _minutes_ after leaving last time.

"I heard you. You were going to take me away and leave my friends in this mess. I wasn't gonna let that happen." Her stance had become defensive now, he saw that her eyes had clouded over again. But he wasn't about to let this drop. He had come so very close to losing her today. Sheer luck had been the reason they had gotten her away from the old warlock safely. He wasn't going to be letting her out of his sight until he had personally witnessed Silas being sent over to the other side to join his witch lover.

"Love, I don't care about your pathetic friends. I _care _about you. Getting you as far from Mystic Falls as possible is the best thing to do-" he waved her off with a hand as she indignantly opened her mouth to speak, the fury danced in her eyes and he bit back a smirk, "however, considering your utterly disturbing lack of regard for your own safety, I have, for the time being, put that plan aside. No doubt you would get yourself killed trying to get back to the people who often throw you headlong into danger when it suits their purpose."

She paused for a second to absorb this, then launched into what he was certain would be a speech of epic proportions.

"First of all," she spat at him, "my _friends _are the first to place themselves in danger when I'm the one in trouble. Stefan and Damon came for me as well today, in case you had forgotten. I will not leave them and run away like a- like- like some kind of _coward!_" She was expecting a lot of different responses from him at that. But the one she got was one she had never imagined.

Klaus sprang up from the couch, away from her. His eyes glowed yellow for a brief moment as he glowered at her. "Damon Salvatore has his head _still attached _at present merely because he may be useful in getting rid of Silas. But the second this is over he dies. I don't understand why you would defend him. You of all people." Caroline's eyes widened in horror, but he wasn't finished. "Why you would want to place yourself at risk for him and the people who excuse him is beyond my understanding!"

Realization dawned on her. Klaus must have heard her tell Matt what Damon had done to her. This was so very not good.

She buried her face in her hands again. Humiliation burned her from the inside out. It was one thing for Stefan and Matt to know what Damon had done to her, but _Klaus_? Something inside of her was curling up and dying at the idea of him seeing her the way she was then. Weak, pathetic, afraid. A used little victim at the mercy of a bad man. But he was threatening Damon and as usual, this couldn't be about her feelings. She needed to make sure that he didn't do anything horrible to anyone else she loved. Not that she loved Damon. But people she did loved him and he wasn't so bad to have around these days.

"Klaus, you can't kill Damon." She uttered in the same weary tone she had used when asking him to spare Tyler.

Klaus felt frustration burn through him. This girl was too much! The man who had defiled her was still walking around on legs that hadn't been ripped from his body and she was telling him he couldn't rectify that situation?

The fact that she hadn't received a response told her that he wasn't interested in what she thought he could or couldn't do to Damon.

"I mean it. You just can't. What happened... it- it happened. I haven't forgotten, but I have forgiven him. I don't need or want you to kill anyone for me."

This just confused him. "I don't understand you Caroline. You can forgive him for that. Yet you despise me. I would never have hurt you like that. Ever. And trust me love, I have thought about it on some rather lonely evenings. Or after a particularly harsh reaction from you."

He seemed calmer now, but the look on his face was tired, and hurt. Yep, he was very hurt. This made something inside her clench painfully.

She got to her feet and stood in front of him. He gazed at her imploringly. "Damon was different back then. He changed. A little. But enough. Caring for Elena, it made him a better man. And I thought- I mean-" She suddenly became interested in her feet. "I know, that he stops himself from doing horrible things because he knows that it'll hurt her. He makes an effort not to disappoint her. But you... You_ killed _Tyler's mom. And you knew that it would make me hate you, but you didn't care. You didn't care enough about me to stop. And I was disappointed. I was-I was- hurt. Caring about someone is supposed to make you better. When I heard about Carol Lockwood I knew I had been fooling myself that you could have cared about me, about anyone. I had hope. For you. That one day maybe you could be someone that I could care about. I hated you for taking that away."

Then she turned and walked away, leaving Klaus to stare after her completely lost for words.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone, apologies for this chapter. It's more explanatory than action filled. More Klaroline interaction next chapter. I know where i'm going with this story now, but getting there is another matter lol. Thanks for all the reviews and favourites, I wasn't sure whether to go on writing this or giving up, I want to entertain not bore :) **

Caroline left the room with her heart pounding. She wondered what the hell she had been thinking, opening up to Klaus like that. She had all but admitted that she was disappointed that he didn't_ care_ about her. It was ridiculous!

As if Klaus cared about anything. But then, a small voice in her head told her, she knew that he did. He cared so much it made him save her live, even though his pride would suffer. He had spared Tyler's life. Sort of. Which was a huge thing, for Klaus anyway.

God what was she doing?! She was actually thinking about Klaus in a _positive_ way.. And she was suddenly kissing him and letting him put his arm around her. In front of S_tefan_ as well!

She shook her head as she ventured outside to see Klaus' witch friend. The woman was gorgeous. A faint throb of jealousy hit her as she watched the woman. She was tall, dark-skinned and absolutely stunning. Her slim body was being hugged by a pair of skin-tight leather pants that Caroline would never dare to try pulling off. She watched as the woman gripped some Gothic looking pendant that hung around her neck and chanted. How long did it take for s magic spell to work?

Just as she was about to turn and head back into the house, the woman opened her eyes and looked directly at her.

Caroline felt an odd urge to run for her life.

"Hello Caroline." The woman said in a soft voice. A chill ran up her spine.

"Um, hi."

"My name is Gertrude. Klaus is a gentleman in many ways, but not when it comes to introducing his lady-friends to each other.

'Punch her, Forbes, right in the face!' Caroline forced a smile, "Are you two?"

"Oh, no," Gertrude smiled, "he is an old friend. One to whom I owed a favor."

Caroline nodded and moved to sit on the steps leading to Klaus' porch.

"So... what do these spells do exactly?" She asked.

For a second, it seemed the witch wasn't going to answer. Then she gave a small sigh and moved to sit down beside Caroline.

Yet again she felt the urge to run.

"They will protect all who occupy this place. No creature, human or otherwise will be able to enter unless permitted by Klaus. I also added a sort of cloaking spell. Anyone who does not already know where this mansion is will doubtless walk past it without even noticing its existence."

"Better not order any pizza." Caroline mumbled. Gertrude laughed.

"I hear you saw a vision during your time with Silas?"

Caroline nodded. "Do you... I mean, do you know what it means?"

The witch gave a small laugh. "Of course. The question is, Caroline, do you?"

Caroline didn't like the way the woman had said her name, or the way she had asked her question. This woman was seriously giving her the creeps.

"Obviously not. Or I wouldn't have asked." She replied snarkily.

The witch raised her eyebrows at the vampire for a second then burst out laughing.

"Oh, my, I can see why he's in love with you. You're a firecracker aren't you."

Choosing to ignore that, Caroline asked again.

"So, what does it mean?"

Gertrude became serious again and turned to look her in the face.

"It means, Caroline, that you experienced a previous life. One in which something happened that led you off your pre-destined course."

"You mean like, reincarnation, right?"

"What do you know about reincarnation Caroline?" The witches eyes were boring into hers now and she was starting to be sorry that she bothered to ask in the first place.

"It's when you die, and are reborn as someone else. You don't remember who you were before and you live a different life. My dads boyfriend, he was into like, mystical stuff. He told me once that we are all born over and over until we learn all the lessons that we are meant to learn. Then we just... stop." She felt a stab of pain, remembering Stephen. He hadn't been in touch since her father found out she was a vampire. Not even after her father had died. It hurt. They had been so close before that. Now though, everything was different. _She_ was different.

The witch looked impressed. Caroline had promptly switched to wondering what kind of mother would name her child Gertrude, when the witch nodded.

"Very good Caroline. But I am afraid your father's lover was only partially correct. We do not come back to learn lessons, we come back to complete our only when we do that are we able to find true peace."

"So... not everyone comes back then?"

"No, most people live small, simple lives. Their destinies are also simple. Most achieve what they came to do and find peace. But some-" the look she gave Caroline made her want to yell for Klaus or run for her life again. This woman was seriously creepy. "Some have a destiny so large, so... unique,that they have lifetimes spanning thousands of years. And you are one of those people."

Caroline stared at her, unable to take it in. "So, so the things I saw.."

"Were quite real. I would imagine that soon enough, you will have dreams and possibly even waking visions of your past life." The witch made to stand.

"Wait." Her mind and her heart were racing. The dream she had about Klaus... That was _real_? "I had a dream..."

Gertrude's eyes were trained on her, they were glistening with what Caroline would later come to call her "I'm a smug bitch who knows everything you say before you even think of saying it" look.

"I see. Then we have little time."

Ignoring that, Caroline immediately started to feel faint. 'I'm a small town girl. Apart from being a vampire there is nothing special about me. I'm the most ordinary person in the world. Why would my destiny be so huge, it doesn't make any sense.' At some point, she must have spoken out loud, because the witch got that look on her face again and leaned forward to grasp Caroline by the hands.

"My dear, you are special. Ask yourself why Klaus picked you, of all the women in the world, he chose to love _you_." A smug feeling erupted before Caroline could push it down as she caught a tinge of jealousy leaking into Gertrude's voice. "You two were, it seems, destined to meet."

"I. How do you know all of this?"

Gertrude just smiled at her. "Someone had to know in order to tell you. Just know, that you are safe here. And that when you open your heart to your true love, you may well save this world and the world beyond."

With that, she turned and walked away, throwing a look over her shoulder to grin, "Tell Klaus I shall return later."

It was just then that Caroline realised the woman had been too caught up in trying to appear enigmatic to tell her witch of the men she was having visions of was supposed to be her true love.

She gave a frustrated sigh as she went back inside.

* * *

Stefan couldn't keep the guilty look from his face as he informed them he had to go to the boarding house to check on the situation there. But instead of disappointment, he caught a similar look of guilt in Caroline's eyes as she realised she hadn't even spoken to Elena since she turned off her emotions.

He couldn't help but sigh. When had all of their worlds started revolving around Elena's drama? Deep down, he knew that it wasn't the brunette's fault that bad luck seemed to follow her. But it didn't stop the pang of resentment as he watched his friend feel bad for not being there for _Elena_ when a nightmare of her own had just befallen her.

It was one thing for his world to stop and start with the Doppelganger, but he was starting to see that the dynamic of their little group had started to do the same thing.

It only added to his guilt for leaving her here now, with Klaus.

But, with a promise to call her as soon as he knew how Elena was, he left. Before he went he had gathered her up in his arms, ignoring the glare that Klaus immediately shot him and decided to return here even if it meant dragging Elena with him. He would keep them both safe. Even if it killed him.

* * *

Caroline sat on her bed in the room Klaus had given her. She was both confused and mortified. Telling him she was hurt that he didn't care about her was about the worst thing she could have done. Second worst, she told herself as she remembered his kisses. His mouth had felt so soft against hers. She remember the feeling of being pressed tight against him, his hands doing magical things to her body... But it was wrong, she reminded herself for the hundredth time since the first kiss. Klaus wasn't always a monster, she knew. But a lot of the time he was. And the pain he had caused both her and her friends was very real. No matter how many times she wished she could make it go away like some bad dream.

He would never be able to give her what she needed from a relationship. And she would never be able to accept him for who he was when he was playing games with the lives of the people that she loved.

Tyler was gone. Caroline didn't even know where he fitted into any of this anymore. She knew that she loved him. That was all she knew. And even as she reminded herself of that it occurred to her that there were many different kinds of love.

Sure she had fallen for him. But had that been a real, forever _in love_ kind of love? Or was she just clinging to a childish dream of happily ever after with someone safe? She didn't know. And it frightened her.

Klaus found it so easy to get under her skin and he didn't even know it. That it wasn't his romantic drawings and kind words that made her heart beat a little bit faster around him.

Although they helped, she knew that it was much deeper than that. Deeper, even, than his pretty blue eyes and the accent that made her clothes want to tear themselves from her body every time she heard it.

His words about them being the same were right. He had just lived with who he was for over a thousand years. If she had spent that long with no one to care about her, she would probably end up exactly the same as he did. The thought did nothing to help her forget her growing feelings for him.

Despite everything, all of the betrayals and attempts on his life, he was still protecting her. When she had been so afraid at the mercy of Silas, Klaus had come. And if she was being honest with herself she would have admitted that she had known he would come. He always did.

Caroline shook her head. There was no way she had feelings for Klaus. There was no way that she had lived another life, one in which she loved him. And she sure as hell was not going to be kissing him again. Ever.

She buried her face in her hands. A little voice in her head was whispering, 'Liar.'


End file.
